Device promises faster, more efficient blood clotting diagnosis

The device, which will be known as the Point-of-Care (POC) analyser, is being designed to provide critically needed data to guide the treatment of bleeding and blood clots in surgery, trauma and intensive care. The instrument is optimised to provide information rapidly to physicians to allow them to reduce complications for the patient, and, in turn, save lives. Pending FDA approval, one of the first clinical applications for this device is in open heart surgery, where up to 25% of patients suffer from excessive bleeding. "Holding up an operating room while waiting for lab results is both expensive and risky," said David Chastain of Cambridge Consultants. "We are pleased to work with HemoSonics on this device that is being designed to deliver fast and accurate information that is critical in surgery. "This project is particularly exciting as it will use so many areas of our expertise and we believe, once it is fully commercialised, it could become the standard blood coagulation diagnostic tool for hospitals around the world."